SR 05:070 - Laserfiche WebLink

Of the ten intersections which suffer LOS E/F conditions in either the morning or afternoon, three are Downtown intersections where City policy has been to tolerate these levels-of-service, and three others are unsignalized intersections. The gateway intersections of Hopyard Road/ Owens Drive and Stanley Boulevard/Valley Avenue/Bemal Avenue are the intersections affecting the most drivers with congested conditions. The perception of"traffic" is often more a perception of the delay along a given route, or corridor, rather than the delay at individual intersections. Many of the City's main arterials are "coordinated" such that platoons of vehicles are able to proceed along a corridor generally unstopped. The 2003 Baseline Report includes travel time and delay studies along many of the main arterials. Many other aspects of traffic comprise "existing conditions": non-arterial street traffic, safety, control systems, etc. Some of these are described in the 2003 Baseline Report, but they are not included in this discussion. The goal of this workshop is to concentrate on the City's arterials and their capacities/operation, keeping in mind the overall goal of ultimately merging land uses and circulation network into a satisfactory relationship. All of the other circulation-related issues will be addressed in other workshops as existing policies are reviewed and alternatives discussed. Freeways Interstates 580 and 680 are key circulations links for the City. Operational characteristics of these freeways are monitored by the Alameda Congestion Management Agency, and the results are shown in Table 4. The Congestion Management Agency data show several shifts in freeway congestion patterns. Morning congestion has worsened on 1-580 through Livermore for westbound traffic, while 1-680 southbound congestion has largely been eliminated (new diamond lanes, Silicon Valley continued slump). In the evening, eastbound 1-580 congestion has worsened, reaching LOS E/F conditions from 1-680 through Livermore. Peak-hour congestion along freeway routes affects resident workers' ability to reach non-City places of employment and the City's employers' ability to attract employees from outside the local area. When congestion is adjacent to the City's boundaries, it provides an impetus for traffic to use City streets as "pure" cut-through routes as well as to divert local trips onto longer routes using City streets. "EXISTING PLUS APPROVED" DEVELOPMENT CONDITIONS Approved Land Use The approved development included in the "Existing Plus Approved" development scenario is comprised of several types: SR 05:070 Page 4